Snow today, spring tomorrow

Denis J. O'Malley

Updated 11:25 pm, Monday, March 18, 2013

Spring officially begins Wednesday, but this year's historically snowy season took another opportunity to drop a few inches on southwestern Connecticut, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a winter weather advisory for the area Monday.

Forecasts called for one to three inches of snow in areas south of the Merritt Parkway along the coast, and up to five inches farther north in the Danbury, Woodbury and Meriden areas, said Jim Connolly, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Connolly and other forecasters expected the snow to turn to sleet and freezing rain overnight, which could limit total snowfall.

"If we don't get the changeover early enough, we could get more snow. Then again, if it changes over more quickly, we get more ice and less snow," Connolly said.

As of Monday, Bridgeport had already seen its fifth-snowiest winter on record with 61.3 inches falling on the city since Oct. 1, according to National Weather Service data.

Should the overnight storm leave even one-half inch half of snow on the ground, this year's winter will top the season of 1966-67 with its 61.6 inches.

Either way, Tuesday morning's commute should be an icy one, thanks to sleet and freezing rain following the snow.

Along the coast, temperatures could keep the ice at bay and leave only slush-covered roads, but commuters farther north should expect a slick ride Tuesday morning.

"We could have some very icy travel, especially around sunrise through 7-8 o'clock," Connolly said.

The winter weather advisory remains in effect until 10 a.m. Tuesday.

As of late Monday, the city of Bridgeport had not declared a snow emergency for what was forecast as a relatively minor storm, although city trucks had pre-treated roads, according to Mayor Bill Finch's office.

The storm will stick around though Tuesday night, although it was expected to switch over to rain Tuesday morning as temperatures could reach a high of 43 degrees.

Although spring is on the city's doorstep, Connolly said there could still be more snow ahead, but ultimately, "it's impossible to say."

"There's nothing imminent as far as what would tell us there's another snowstorm but ... there is the potential for more snow even into the spring," he said.